Jennifer Antonik is a passionate grassroots activist and award-winning community journalist, public relations specialist, photographer and children’s book author. Antonik currently works as the associate editor of the Delaware Business Times and teaches journalism at Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC). Antonik graduated from DTCC with an associate degree in communications technology and a certificate in sign language. In December 2025, she earned dual bachelor's degrees from Wilmington University in behavioral science and communications with a concentration in public relations and strategic communications, as well as certificates in social media marketing and community engagement. She also holds certificates in financial coaching and a strategic planning approach to suicide prevention.
As an advocate, she played a role in challenging systems in hopes of making the world a better place, something she learned early on as a Girl Scout. Antonik helped expand midwifery care for birthing families in Delaware, successfully encouraged a local school district to provide a dedicated lactation space and refrigerator for students and faculty and led a grassroots effort to save, replace and replenish hundreds of manga books at a local middle school after administrators threatened to ban them altogether. This advocacy laid the groundwork for what would come next in her life – the loss of her husband. After losing her husband, best friend and co-parent Ben to suicide, she founded and now currently runs DJ’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting suicide loss survivors like her own family through peer support, resources and community outreach. The nonprofit recently collaborated with dozens of organizations across the state and nationally in advocating for the establishment of a statewide office of suicide prevention which also introduced the concept of postvention to Delaware Code.
Antonik has three pre-teen/teenage children at home and she’s recently discovered a love for Magic the Gathering and jalapeños.
I’m exhausted. I woke up this morning ready for work – I work remotely from home, thank goodness. And I didn’t have bus duty for my three kids this morning which usually has me up by 6 a.m. and outside ...
